Hi 8:53

I'm Sigma 8:54

That's what the message on my phone said. I shouted with excitement.

"Nikolai, don't shout!" my mom scolded me.

"Sorry, Mom," I replied.

HIIIIIIIIIIIII 8:56

I'm glad you wrote (⁠つ⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)⁠つ 8:56

It was already night, almost nine o'clock. Dad was working on the computer, and Mom was reading. I was watching videos and waiting for a message to arrive.

JASJAKAJAJAJ 8:57

Thanks for the letter and the chocolate (⁠☆⁠▽⁠☆⁠) 8:57

It was a lovely gesture 8:58

Sigma's laughter was so nice, like he were convulsing.

"Nikolai, time to sleep!" my mother yelled.

"I'm coming!"

I have to go 9:00

See you at school tomorrow (⁠◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕⁠✿⁠) 9:00

Bye 9:01

Bye 9:01

The next day, I told my friends, jumping with excitement. They couldn't believe it. According to them, they thought Sigma would add me and then block me so that I couldn't write to him if I discovered their number.

Hah! They underestimated me too much. Who do they think I am?

"I don't believe a word of it!" protested Dazai. "Show us the messages."

"But of course not! It's private."

"You used to show us your messages with Chuuya..." Fyodor commented absentmindedly.

"That's something different! I don't have Sigma's permission to share our conversation, so I won't."

"Did you have Chuuya's permission?"

I stuck my tongue out at them. Those monsters had no heart, but I did. I care about other people's feelings; I'm very empathetic. They have the emotional range of a cockroach.

"Oh, here he comes," I observed. "Act normal!"

Dazai picked his nose. Fyodor bit his thumbs. I started playing with my braid. Very normal.

Sigma walked past us. He glanced at me and nodded. I smiled at him. Then, he entered the classroom as if nothing had happened, and I could breathe normally again. Fyodor slapped Dazai's hand.

"You're disgusting," he scolded him.

He stuck his tongue out. I repeat: we're very normal.

I didn't talk much with Sigma that day, except for exchanging glances and noticing that he sometimes looked at me too. In religion class, the teacher played reggaeton and made us dance. If we didn't dance, we had to sing. It was fun to watch Fyodor trying to dance so he wouldn't have to sing in front of everyone.

Dazai had no shame at all; he seemed like a dance star. I didn't know that side of him.

After dancing, the teacher asked us to write about our feelings. I wrote that my goat hooves hurt. Fyodor wrote that he had anemia, which wasn't funny at all. Dazai wrote that he'd do it again.

When class ended, we headed to the English classroom. The teacher was a young woman named Ágatha. I sat behind Fyodor and to the left of Dazai. When Miss Ágatha turned around for a moment, Fyodor turned his head to talk to me.

"Hey, I didn't want to tell you, but this is getting too uncomfortable," he said.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

He glanced at Sigma, who was sitting a few rows back. He always sat by the wall at the back. He must be really shy.

"Your future boyfriend won't stop staring at Dazai and me," he said. "I feel watched all the time. It makes me nervous."

Dazai also turned.

"Speaking of the Two-Toned Hair Gentleman?" he asked, "Is he looking at us right now."

I turned subtly. Sigma turned his head, and I could only see his hair move like a curtain.

"Is he looking at you guys?" I asked.

"He was watching us the whole time in religion class," Dazai replied. "Obviously, everyone was looking at me because I was the star of the show, but his gaze was different. And he was also looking at Fyodor."

"Since we entered this classroom, he hasn't taken his eyes off us. Please, Gogol, it's your crush. Do something. It's making us very nervous."

I turned my head again. Sigma was casually looking out the window. He had a beautiful nose, and his gray eyes shone like I had never seen them before.

Perfection is spelled "S-I-G-M-A."

I sighed. The teacher stopped copying and began explaining the topic of "have/has been."

"All right, now we're going to do a partner activity," she said after explaining. I got excited.

"This is my chance," I told the guys. "Is he looking at me?"

"Yes," Dazai said.

I turned.

"Not anymore," Dazai sighed. "You need to be less obvious."

I grumbled.

"You two be partners," I turned again. "Hey, Sigma!"

FINALLY, he looked up. I smiled at him.

"Do you want to work together?"

He smiled too. My lungs sank to my stomach, and my stomach rose to my throat. My heart moved to my pancreas, and my pancreas took the place of my lungs.

"Yes, sure," he replied. I felt like I was going to have a stroke.

I looked at my friends.

"Wish me luck," I whispered, and moved my chair next to Sigma.

The activity was very easy, and he was very good at English from what I could tell. At first, it was a bit awkward, but I tried to act normal and not make it even more awkward. In one part of the text, I recognized a word that hurt in my kokoro.

"Given!" I exclaimed.

I didn't expect him to understand, but he looked at the word and covered his mouth to stifle a sob.

"Given," he murmured. I smiled.

"Do you know the anime?" I asked.

"One of my favorites. I have the song on my playlist."

From that moment on, everything went smoothly. We talked about anime, hummed the song, and discussed how Akihiko didn't deserve Haruki but they still made a cute couple, and things like that. I came up with a question about something... that not just anyone would know.

"And... have you watched... Yarichin?" I whispered. He didn't hear me the first time.

"What?" he asked, leaning in to hear better.

"Have you watched Yarichin?"

He bit his lip, smiled, and nodded slowly. I almost bit my tongue.

"Ooh," I said in a hushed voice. "Who would have thought he's so quiet..."

He hissed and slapped my hand, his face red with embarrassment. I laughed.

Now, in addition to being able to talk to Sigma without saying silly things due to nervousness, I had discovered something very important.

Sigma saw content not suitable for minors, and of a homosexual nature.